Controversial Islamic school may challenge Germany's constitution

The town council of Moenchengladbach has put a temporary stop to the renovation of a building intended as the new location of a controversial Islamic school. A spokesman for the city of Moenchengladbach said that the school, which is attempting to relocate from Braunschweig, did not request the necessary building permit.

The school is affiliated with Salafi Islam and has been the subject of intense scrutiny in recent weeks. Marin Brandenburger, the press officer of Lower Saxony's Office for the Protection of the Constitution - the state's internal security agency, says her organization has been monitoring the school for some time.

"This strain of Islam denies the equality of men and women and considers democracy to be harmful to the religion; it mandates that all un-Islamic elements must be kept out of the religion and out of society," says Brandenburger.